Turnabout Mafia
by Lordoftheghostking28
Summary: Trapped in Kurain Village for a week and a half wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't a killer trapped with them. Or could there be more than one? Why are they doing this? Can the killers be found out before it's too late?
1. Introduction

**A word of introduction/explanation:**

**Alright, this story is going to be a bit different than the rest. **

**It's going to have a proper plotline and stuff like any other story, but the situation is a bit different. **

**It's based off the game 'Mafia'. If you don't know how to play, the rules are as follows:**

_**The narrator, or game master, takes a deck of cards. Depending on what cards you get, you either become a townsperson, which is the most common, a medic, a detective, or you become part of the mafia. Depending on the size of the group, the mafia's size can vary from one person to ten people.**_

_**The medic (A queen of hearts playing card) can save one person.**_

_**The detective (A king of hearts playing card) tries to determine who the mafia is and report it to the townspeople.**_

_**And the mafia (Any other face cards in the deck) tries to kill as many people as they can before being discovered. **_

_**The townspeople (The other cards in the deck) are ordinary citizens. **_

_**The goal of the game is to find the mafia and save the town before there are no more townspeople left. **_

_**The players sit in a circle and the narrator begins with a short opening (e.g., it was a sunny day in WhateverTown. Everyone was living their lives happily, until nightfall, ect.). The narrator will then say, "It's midnight." **_

_**The players, mafia, medic and detective included, all go to 'sleep'. No peeking is permitted during this time, unless you are called to 'wake up' (e.g., 'Mafia, wake up'.).**_

_**The narrator will say, "Mafia, wake up."**_

_**Only the mafia has the right to 'wake up' this at this time. The narrator will go on to say, "Who do you want to kill?"**_

_**The mafia will point to whoever they want to dispose of. The narrator will then say, "Mafia, go to sleep."**_

_**The narrator will then say, "Medic, wake up. Who do you want to save?"**_

_**The medic will then point to one person. If the mafia is targeting that person for death, the medic will be able to save them. The medic can also choose to save themselves. The narrator will then say, "Medic, go to sleep."**_

_**And finally, the narrator will call upon the detective. "Detective, wake up. Who do you want to accuse?"**_

_**At this time, the detective will point to someone. If the accused is the mafia, the narrator will give them a silent signal, so the 'sleeping' townspeople won't know if they're right or not. The goal of the detective is to remain anonymous to the mafia and relay information to the townsfolk to get them captured. The narrator will then say, "Detective go to sleep. Everyone wake up."**_

_**Everyone in town will 'wake up', and the narrator will tell the daring tale of how someone in the town was murdered the night before. Then the game is open for discussion between the townsfolk as they try to pinpoint the murders on someone. Then, once one townsperson has been accused of being the mafia, be it a false accusation or a real one, they are eliminated from the game and the night begins again with the narrator saying, "It's midnight…"**_

**And with that, I proudly present to you a murder mystery that's completely random. I will be writing a story based off this game, only the characters and their roles will be completely randomly determined by drawing names out of a hat. The mafia will remain mysterious until the very end…that is, if the townspeople last that long.**

**This story will consist of 1 medic, 2 detectives, 5 mafia, and 21 townspeople**

**The first chapter will come very shortly!**

**Here are the characters that are involved with this story:**

_Phoenix Wright, Simon Blackquill, Bobby Fulbright, Kristoph Gavin, Mia Fey, Pearl Fey, Mia Fey, Ema Skye, Klavier Gavin, Trucy Wright, Franziska V. K., Kay Faraday, Athena Cykes, Adrian Andrews, Lana Skye, Maya Fey, Vera Misham, Wendy Oldbag, Jake Marshall, Misty Fey, the Judge, Dick Gumshoe, Godot, Apollo Justice, Lotta Hart, Miles Edgeworth, Redd White, Manfred V. K., Winston Payne, Lamiroir._

**Send me your thoughts, concerns and questions! Every question will be answered at the beginning of the next chapter!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	2. Trapped

**XxXxXxXx**

**CHAPTER 1**

**XxXxXxXx**

**Please note that this is not sticking to the Ace Attorney storyline at all. There are characters in this story that should not be alive, but that may soon change.**

**This story will be told with these as the main characters: **

**_Phoenix_****_ Wright, Trucy Wright, Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes._**

** As of now, the story has been determined randomly and I have begun setting up a plot and such. I will tell you that these names are in a random order. Please do not give me a hard time if one of your favourite characters dies. I was heartbroken a few times as I set this story up.**

** Without further ado, let's begin.**

** XxXxXxXx**

"My dear friends, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Kurain Village."

Everyone gathered in the clearing directed their attention to Misty Fey, who was standing on the porch on one of Kurain Village's huts.

"I hope you find peace here in these next few hours as you enjoy the scenery and sights it has to offer. I encourage you to socialize with each other and the other mystics…perhaps you can learn a thing or two."

Polite applause echoed around the buildings. Misty took a short bow before retreating back into the hut, allowing the people gathered to begin their exploration of the secluded village. A small group began to form amongst the middle of it, a young magician girl at the middle of the commotion.

"This is great, Apollo!" Trucy Wright grinned. "I never thought I'd be in a village filled with such magic!"

"It's not magic." Phoenix said. "They're spirit mediums."

"Well, whatever I don't understand, I call it magic." Trucy adjusted her blue silk hat. "Come on! I want to see the channeling chambers!"

"That rock over there is pretty interesting…" Apollo strayed slightly from the hub.

"Come on, Apollo!" Athena grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the group. "We're at a historic village and you want to look at the rocks?" From around her neck, Widget chirped, "_Awesome stuff! I'm so excited!_"

"Well, that rock is historic!" Apollo protested.

"You can look at the boring old rock later! Come on, Nick! I can get you guys special access to the chambers first!" A young girl clad in channeling robes ran up and grabbed Phoenix's sleeve, tugging him toward the main building.

"Maya, waaait!" Phoenix stumbled.

**XxXxXxXx**

"The sky's getting dark."

Phoenix turned his attention away from a bowl of rice and curry to glance out the nearest window. Dark, ominous clouds covered the sky, threatening to drop rain at any moment. A man was standing next to the window, looking as gloomy as the weather. A hawk sat on his shoulder, its piercing gaze boring into Phoenix's soul.

"Yeah…it is." Phoenix nodded. "Who are you?"

"Simon Blackquill. Prosecutor." The man took a slight bow. "And this is Taka." The hawk gave a screech.

"I'm Phoenix Wright. I'm a lawyer."

"I can tell from that badge on your suit."

Trucy, who was sitting on the ground, nudged Phoenix with her elbow. "You san sit down, you know." She shouted above all the other voices in the lunchroom.

"I'd rather not have curry spilled on my suit." Phoenix said. "But thank you anyway."

Trucy shrugged and went back to eating.

"Ah, you've already met Athena-dono." Simon said. "She's told me she enjoys being a lawyer, but I didn't know she worked under you."

"Oh, you two know each other?" Phoenix asked.

Simon nodded. Athena, who was sitting next to Trucy and starting on her third bowl of curry, glanced up and waved at the prosecutor, grinning around a mouthful of food.

A heavy drumming sound echoed above the chorus of voices in the lunch area. The drone of conversation began to fade away as the sound grew louder, loud enough to send a shudder down the building's foundation.

"Look! Outside!" Apollo pointed.

What appeared to be a waterfall was pouring down the side of the building, obscuring any and all scenery that happened to be within sight. The conversations started

"Is…is that rain?" Trucy blinked. "Wow!"

"Kurain village is on a hill, so hopefully nothing will flood." Phoenix said.

A blinding flash of lightning followed by an earsplitting crack of thunder split the air outside. The room's occupants jumped, emitting various shouts of surprise.

"What's going on?"

"Is there a tornado?"

"In the mountains? You whippersnappers know nothing! There can't be tornados here!"

"How are we going to get back home? The train's going to be arriving soon!"

"Everyone! May I have your attention, please!"

The concerned chatter faded away as Misty Fey held up an arm to direct all attention to her. She had to shout to be heard above the pounding rain.

"The train back to town has unfortunately been unable to get into the mountains! It jumped the track and is now waiting to be repaired! Please, until you can return to your homes and lives, make yourself comfortable! Kurain Village has been through worse storms than this!"

As if to test her theory, another flash of lightning cast a strobe of light over the room. A loud cracking sound followed, even louder than the thunder that rumbled alarmingly close. A young girl in overalls splashed with paint began chewing her nails nervously.

"If the storm pursues, you may be forced to spend a night here! Sleeping accommodations have been arranged in the main hall if indeed this happens!" Misty continued. "I only ask for your patience and cooperation!"

The group began to chatter again. Trucy asked above the noise, "Maybe I can do some magic tricks…will that help everyone calm down?"

"That's a great idea." Athena grinned.

"Great! I brought the Amazing Mr. Hat just in case something like this happened!" Trucy stood in a flurry of her blue cape, and her puppet appeared at her side, stealing her hat as it went. Many of the room's occupants were drawn to the sudden activity, looking confused and intrigued.

Trucy cleared her throat. "Hello, everyone!" she shouted. "I'm going to do a few magic tricks…is that ok?"

Nods and thumbs up were scattered around the room. She took this as a sign to continue.

"_Well, then. Hold onto your curry, because here we go!_" Mr. Hat said with a flourish. A pair of men in the back laughed.

"Abracadabra, alakazam!" Trucy reached behind her back and pulled out a deck of cards, earning a scattered round of applause. She took the deck in one hand and threw it over the group, cards scattering around in the air. With one fluid motion, she clapped twice and the cards burst into flame, burning into nothing and vanishing into the air. Gasps were heard above the pounding rain.

"_Let me do a trick!_" Mr. Hat insisted.

With expert puppeteering, Trucy manipulated Mr. Hat's wooden limbs to reach under the hat he was wearing. He pulled out a pair of blue panties with pink ribbons and dots, much to the crowd's enjoyment.

"_Watch very closely!_" Mr. Hat continued. He reached into the article of clothing and pulled out a bowl of steaming hot curry.

Applause was beginning to ring out above the rain. A scruffy looking man in a trench coat, known to most of the room's occupants as Dick Gumshoe, asked loudly, "Can I have my food back?"

"Of course, my good sir!" Trucy made to hand it back to him, but instead covered it with her cape and stepped back. "Just don't eat it too fast, ok?"

She tore the cape away from the dish of food, which had become a stark white dove.

By now, the applause was almost more deafening than the rain. Trucy took a bow as the dove flew up into the rafters. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Needless to say, the show went over very successfully. Everyone trapped in the room was significantly more confident in riding out the storm.

"That was a great show, Trucy." Apollo complimented.

"Now if only I can catch Archimedes again…" Trucy sighed.

"Who?" Phoenix asked.

"The dove." Trucy pointed to the rafters, where the bird had settled down on a beam. "Once I let him out he never wants to come back."

"Well, my girl! That was truly outstanding!"

Trucy glanced toward the speaker, a smartly dressed man a pink suit. Various gems were set into the lapel, sparkling in the limited light.

"I am Redd White, and I would like you to have this as a token of appreciation." He handed her a diamond brooch.

"Oh! I can't accept this! This…this is…" Trucy stuttered.

"I insist!" Redd said with a sparkling grin.

"What do you say, Trucy?" Phoenix nudged her with a grin.

"Th-thank you…!"

Redd walked away, leaving the group to examine the diamond brooch in fascination.

"That's really pretty!" Athena said. "And it would go really well with your costume!"

"Yeah, replace that boring old cape clasp with this!" Apollo added.

"Everyone, can I have your attention?"

The conversations in the room faded out as everyone focused on Misty again.

"The main hall has been converted into temporary sleeping quarters! If you please follow me, we can get you situated!"

**XxXxXxXx**

One soaking run later, everyone had been transferred to the hall. Sleeping mats had been laid out along the walls, with chests between every two.

"There are spare clothes in the chests. Please feel free to change. There are restrooms down the hall and to the left." Misty said. "Unfortunately, all communication with the train station has been severed by the severity of the storm, so I don't know when they will be up and running again. Until then, please rest and make yourselves at home."

Everyone slowly began claiming a sleeping area, a few of them going right to sleep. Eventually, the talk and chatter began to settle down. The sound of the rain continued to fall, steady and deadly hard, but that was what lulled Phoenix to sleep…

…

…

…

It's midnight…

**XxXxXxXx**

**That's the first official chapter, yay. **

**So things start heating up in the next one. **

**Please leave a review! I want to know what you guys think of this!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


	3. Diamonds in the Rough

**XxXxXxXx**

**CHAPTER 2**

**XxXxXxXx**

**Yep, the next chapter. I apologize if I screw up Simon Blackquill, I actually haven't played Dual Destinies and I'm just going off what I read on the Wiki Pages. But anyway, please read and enjoy.**

**XxXxXxXx**

"Daddy, wake up!"

"What? What is it, Trucy?" Phoenix yawned and sat up, his back slightly stiff from lying on the floor all night. Around them, a few other people were stating to wake up and stretch, muttering various curses about how sore they were.

Outside, the rain poured on in an endless waterfall.

"Misty Fey said something about breakfast being served in the main hall in half an hour." Trucy continued. "And it's first come, first serve."

"Oh…we'd better get over there before Maya does." Phoenix chuckled. "Speaking of her, where is she?" he glanced around the room, his gaze settling on Redd White, who was fidgeting nervously with a diamond pin.

"All the spirit mediums have separate housing." Trucy said. "So she went with her mom, big sister and little cousin."

"I bet wherever they're sleeping is more comfortable than this." Phoenix stood and smoothed out the sleeves of his suit.

The main hall's doors were flung open, rain showering in on the people closest to the door. A woman with blonde hair and glasses, dressed in a blue sleeveless top and black pants ran in, soaked to the bone, shouting.

"There's been a murder!"

Instantly, the group gathered in the hall stood at attention, some of the higher ranking prosecutors and detectives trying to calm everyone down. Those that had been sleeping no longer were.

"A murder?" Athena yawned and sat up. Her current bedhead hairdo rivaled Phoenix's.

"_Jeder, beruhigen sie sich jetzt_!" A voice rang above the worried whispers. A blonde prosecutor stepped into the middle of the hall, wearing a purple jacket and a chain around his neck shaped like a G. "Please, calm down! If we assess the situation in an orderly fashion—"

"Klavier, I've got the situation under control."

Miles Edgeworth pushed his way to the front of the crowd, flanked by detective Gumshoe and Franziska vonKarma. "What's your name?" he asked the glasses wearing blonde.

"A-Adrian Andrews…"

"Do you know who was murdered?"

Adrian hesitated for a second before whispering something to him. Miles nodded before turning to Gumshoe. "Get her something to eat. Franziska, go alert Misty."

Gumshoe spread his trench coat across Adrian's shoulders and led her further into the main hall, away from the center of commotion. Then he and Franziska quickly exited the building, rushing off to do what they were assigned.

Miles brushed aside anyone asking questions and instead walked over to Phoenix, face grimly set.

"I…regret to inform you of this," he started, "but you have to come with me. Athena too."

"What?" Athena's face was suddenly set in worry. Widget turned a bright shade of pale.

"Hurry."

"I'm coming, too." Apollo said.

The four of them headed to the hall's exit, where Miles retrieved a large umbrella more than big enough for all of them. They exited the building, rain pounding down so hard on the shelter's fabric that it threatened to rip.

"Where's the body? Who was killed?" Apollo's voice cracked.

"You seem really nervous…" Athena blurted.

"I'm fine! Aren't you worried?"

"The body was discovered nearby what we now call the cafeteria." Miles said, interrupting them. "I suppose Adrian was going for food and just happened to spot it before running back and so kindly alerting us."

The building loomed in sight through the pouring rain. Against the pale rocky ground just behind the structure, something dark was spread over it. The group hurried toward it .

"I'm warning you, this might come as a shock…" Miles started. "I know he was a dear friend."

They were close enough to make out the black and white hair of the victim. Athena gasped, Widget going completely dark. She left the shelter of the umbrella and ran toward the victim, dropping down by his side and grabbing his hand.

"_Simon_! No!"

Simon Blackquill? The man that Phoenix had just met last night had been brutally murdered. He was lying on his back, one leg bent at an odd angle, eyes open and staring blankly up at the rain. His arms were set at his sides, and a light pink tinge was mixed in with the white of his hair and a large hole was ripped through his suit's chest, revealing the gaping, unbleeding wound over his heart. A single, rainsoaked feather was placed over the worst of the mortal injury.

"Wh…who could have done this?" Phoenix gasped.

"Who would do something this awful?" Miles sighed. Despite the calm demeanor he was trying to portray, he was visibly shaken.

"Athena…" Apollo dropped by her side and put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry…"

Athena only clutched Simon's hand tighter, her head bowed toward the ground as her body shook with sobs.

"No doubt the rain's washed away any important clues." Phoenix said to Miles.

"Not all of them." The prosecutor pointed to the pink tinges in Simon's hair. "Blood. I'd say head trauma was a factor in this murder, but not the leading cause of it. And this murder was recent…I'd say within the last six hours. I went out to speak with Misty at around 11 last night."

"It's 6:20 right now." Phoenix said, glancing at his watch. "What are we going to do with the body?"

"We get it out of the rain." Miles said. "Hopefully, Misty will let us examine it in further detail."

"What's this…?" Athena murmured. She gently pried Simon's fingers up from the fist they were currently locked in. Something fell into her palm…something glittering in the dim light.

"Is that a diamond?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah." Athena handed it to him.

"I think we have our first major clue." Phoenix said. "Who do we know with riches galore who thanked Trucy for her show last night in a similar form of payment?"

**XxXxXxXx**

"I don't know, pal. We're working as fast as we can, but without proper equipment or anything, it's really hard."

"You're doing a fine job detective. Keep it up." Miles said.

Gumshoe gave him a small grin. "Just doing what I can, sir."

Within the next hour, a small tent had been erected over the crime scene, preserving it as much as possible. Now a small group had gathered inside and were doing what they could to gather clues.

Athena and Apollo had gone back to the main hall, leaving Phoenix, Miles, Gumshoe, Franziska, Mia and Klavier Gavin.

"I can't believe something like this happened." Mia sighed. "Who would do something like this?"

"I don't know, but it is our job to find out." Franziska stated pointedly.

Mia sighed again. "Kids today." She muttered under her breath.

"Careful. Don't let her hear you because she'll—YEOWCH!" Phoenix shouted as Franziska's trademark whip slashed across his arm.

"Silence, fool! If you have nothing to contribute to the crime scene, go elsewhere and be foolish!"

"The _mädchen_'s right, herr attorney." Klavier said, snapping his fingers to an invisible beat. "There are already too many people in this tent at the moment. I'd say it's best if we assign people to the task of playing detective, _ja_?"

"Fine, I'll leave." Phoenix said. "But I have a question first."

"What is it?" Gumshoe asked.

"Do we have any other evidence suggesting that this crime was committed by Redd White?"

"I would think that the diamond settles it." Franziska frowned. "What other evidence do you need?"

"Phoenix, can I trouble you to watch him?" Mia asked. "If he does anything suspicious, report back to me."

"Yeah. Sure." Phoenix nodded as he turned and ran back into the pouring rain.

**XxXxXxXx**

"We have a judge! Let's hold a trial here!"

"Yeah! I don't want to live among a murderer!"

"We don't have anything better to do anyway."

Phoenix was greeted by a wave of voices, all speaking over each other.

"We can sentence this killer to prison ourselves!"

"Yeah! Great idea!"

"I wonder if we'll get to see any legendary objections?"

"Mr. Wright!"

Phoenix turned to see the judge hurrying toward him. "These people are petitioning to hold a trial amongst themselves!"

"With the current events, that may be the best way to go." Phoenix said.

"Are you serious? We can't hold a trial ourselves!" the judge continued.

"If it means bringing the killer to justice, I see no other alternative to protecting ourselves."

"…Perhaps you're right. But do you have a suspect?"

"We do. And until we really decide on a trial or not, I'm not giving you any more information." Phoenix's gaze jumped to Athena, Apollo and Trucy, who were huddled in the corner away from all the excitement. Athena had her face buried in her hands, and Widget's expression still remained blank. As much as he wanted to join them and offer words of comfort, he had a job to do.

"Mr. White?"

Redd jumped as Phoenix approached him. "Oh! Mr. Wright!"

"You are aware of the current situation, correct?"

"Yes…there was a murder."

Phoenix nodded. "And you do know that one of your diamond brooches was found in the victim's hand?"

"_What?_"

Redd's yell attracted a bit of attention, but the prying eyes were turned away as the people continued with their own conversations.

"You can't be serious!" Redd continued in a slightly lower voice.

"I am. And I intend to defend you if this trial ever actually happens." Phoenix said. "You didn't know Mr. Blackquill personally now, did you?"

"No…I've never heard that name before in my life!" Redd said. "This morning, I woke up to find that one of my pins was gone! The killer must have stolen it from me while I was sleeping!" He pointed to a miniscule hole in his lapel, where Phoenix could imagine the missing pin.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Anything?" Mia asked.

"Well, no." Phoenix admitted. "He claims that one of his pins was stolen last night."

"Anything else?"

"Everyone wants to hold a trial." Phoenix said. "They want to find the killer so that more of us don't end up dead. The judge's up for it."

"Hmm…that may indeed be the best way to go about this whole ordeal." Miles joined in on the conversation. "I take it you've already spoken to Mr. White?"

"Yes." Phoenix said. "I'm to be his lawyer."

"Perfect. Then this might work out well after all."

**XxXxXxXx**

"This trial is held for the murder of Mr. Simon Blackquill. Under the circumstances, this trial is going to be a bit different. The prosecution will be occupied by three people, whereas the defense will be likewise. Everyone here will vote on the verdict of the guilty party; Mr. Redd White." The judge said. "On the prosecution, we have Mr. Miles Edgeworth, Mr. Manfred vonKarma, and Mr. Klavier Gavin."

Sitting behind one of the clothing trunks as a makeshift desk on the right side of the hall, the three prosecutors stood from chairs that had been dragged up from a storage unit within the basement of the main hall..

"And on the defense, we have Mr. Phoenix Wright, Mr. Apollo Justice, and Ms. Mia Fey."

Behind a similar trunk on the left side of the hall, the three of them stood.

Redd White was seated in a chair next to the defense, and the judge was seated behind a trunk at the front of the hall. The people were all standing in a circle around the 'court'. Gumshoe was holding a clipboard, jotting down the important points of the trial.

"Is the prosecution ready?" the judge continued.

"Yes, your Honour." Manfred vonKarma answered for them all.

"Is the defense ready?"

"Yes, your Honour." Phoenix said.

"Good. Let's begin. The autopsy report, please." The judge said.

Klavier held up a piece of paper. "The cause of death was chest trauma, but the victim also suffered blows to the front of the head and a broken leg. The body was found at 6:16 AM this morning by Adrian Andrews behind the main building."

A copy of this paper was given to the defense, looking like it had been hurriedly copied.

"The prosecution would like to call its first witness." Miles continued. "If the defense doesn't have any objections."

"I actually have a question concerning the victim." Mia spoke up. "Mr. Blackquill was always seen with his pet hawk, Taka. If he had been murdered, where is this bird now?"

"That question in no way pertains to the trial at hand." vonKarma stated flatly. "Now, we call witness Adrian Andrews to the stand."

Adrian broke away from the chain of silent watchers to stand facing the judge.

"Your name and occupation?" Klavier asked.

"Adrian Andrews…director."

"Please give your testimony when you found the body."

"I was heading out to get breakfast. It was still raining…about as hard as it is now, if not harder. I was running to the cafeteria when I spotted something dark behind the building. It was just about 6:16 AM…I don't know why I decided to check it out, but now I wish I hadn't."

"And why is this?" vonKarma asked, his face still set in an emotionless scowl.

"Because…because it was just so _horrible_." Adrian shuddered. "The way his leg was bent…and his eyes were staring…"

"_Hold it_!"

Everyone turned to face Apollo, who was pressing his forefinger against his head thoughtfully. "You said you were going to breakfast?"

"Yes." Adrian said.

"I'm sorry, but that's not true."

A murmur spread through the crowd. The judge, with the absence of his gavel, slammed his fist into the top of the trunk. "Quiet, please! Mr. Justice, please explain."

"He's right, it isn't true." Phoenix piped up. "Trucy woke me up this morning, saying that breakfast was to be served in half an hour. It wasn't long after this that Ms. Andrews came running in, alerting us of the murder."

"That's because I was helping with making breakfast! I can prove it, see?" Adrian pointed to a stain on her shirt. "That's gravy. I was helping prepare gravy and potatoes for breakfast."

"That sounds delicious. Which reminds me, I am rather hungry! The events of this morning made me completely forget about eating!" the judge mused.

"Your Honour, please." Miles sighed.

"Right. Please amend your testimony." The judge said.

"Sorry, sir. I was helping prepare food when I had to go back to the main hall for a hair clip. You can't have your hair down when you're preparing food, as it's unsanitary. When I was on my way back, I found the body."

"Can anyone confirm Ms. Andrew's testimony?" The judge asked. "A show of hands for yes?"

A few scattered hands rose into the air.

"It's safe to assume the rest of them were either asleep or paying no attention." Klavier said.

"If you need proof, I have proof." A young girl in a lab coat stepped forward. "She retrieved a green hair clip and exited the hall again."

"State your name for the record." vonKarma demanded.

"Ema Skye, sir."

"And can Ms. Andrews prove this?" the judge asked.

Adrian let her hair fall loose about her shoulders and held up the green clip. "It's as she says."

"Very well, then. The witness' testimony is not at fault." Klavier said. "What, nothing from the defense?"

"It's as you say, there is nothing at fault." Mia said.

"_Hold it!_" Phoenix said. "Ms. Andrews, you stated just a few moments ago that the scene of the crime was 'horrible', correct?"

"Yes."

"You said and I quote, 'the way his leg was bent…and his eyes were staring'."

"Yes."

"So you mean to tell us you examined the scene of the crime? You were close enough to see that his eyes were open and his leg broken. In this torrential rain, you would have to be examining the scene in detail!"

"Ah!" Adrian stuttered. "Yes…I did…I couldn't help myself…"

"So if you were indeed as close as you said you were, please give us your testimony on what you saw!"

"Bravo, Mr. Wright." Miles took a slight bow. "Observant as ever. Please, Ms. Andrews, tell us what you saw."

"I did examine the body." Adrian admitted. "I mean…I nudged him a few times with my foot…I didn't want to believe that he was dead. But as it said in the autopsy report, he had a huge gash in his chest and his leg was broken. One of his arms was stretched above his head and holding a feather, like he was grabbing at something when h—"

"_OBJECTION!_"

"_OBJECTION!_"

"_OBJECTION!_"

All three of the defense shouted and pointed at the same time, taking each other and the crowd by surprise.

"My goodness, what is there to be so objectionable about?" the judge blinked.

"Your Honour, there was no such discovery when we found the body." Phoenix said. "Mr. Blackquill's arms were close to his sides and he wasn't holding a feather."

"The feather was placed over the wound in his chest!" Apollo stated.

"And in his hand he was holding the diamond, isn't that right?" Miles asked. "This one, in question?" he held up the piece of evidence.

"Yes." Mia said.

"I didn't see that." Adrian said, pointing at the jewel. "That wasn't on Mr. Blackquill at the time, and especially not in his hand."

Another murmur spread through the crowd.

"So what you're trying to say is that the diamond was planted on Mr. Blackquill's person to frame Redd White for murder?" Klavier chuckled. "A very far-fetched idea."

"But not entirely impossible." Mia said. "And by the rain, any and all fingerprints would have been wiped clean away. All we have now is Ms. Andrew's testimony."

Another dull roar of conversation went through the audience. The judge cleared his throat and raised his voice, asking, "Right…well, then…can anyone confirm that they saw Mr. Redd White last night? Can anyone confirm that he did indeed never leave the building?"

Just as quickly as the conversations started, they died down again. A few seconds of silence passed before Ema Skye spoke up again.

"I…I noticed he was rather distraught about something last night."

"What about?" Klavier gave her a grin.

"I don't know. He looked really worried."

"Do you remember when you witnessed this?"

"Just before I went to sleep…" Ema adjusted the pink glasses on her head. "Which was about 11:30 PM. It was also dark, just dark enough to make it so everyone could sleep."

Phoenix's gaze fell upon Trucy and Athena, who were standing just to the right of Ema. Athena was staring blankly at the ground, Widget still dark and unresponsive. Trucy gave a small thumbs up, but the worry and confusion was still clear on her face.

"I believe it's time to hear from the defendant himself." Apollo spoke up. "Let's see if we can clear Mr. White's name with a testimony."

"Let the accused take the stand." The judge said.

Redd White stood, looking anxious. Still, he flashed a nervous, million dollar smile that seemed to sparkle in the dim lighting.

"Name and occupation?" Klavier asked.

"Redd White. CEO of Bluecorp." Redd stated.

"Please tell us where you were last night, Mr. White." Mia said.

Redd cleared his throat before speaking. "I was where everyone else was last night. In the main hall. I never left it."

"Then explain how your brooch ended up clutched in the victim's hand." vonKarma snapped. "Or did it simply walk its way to the murder?"

"I was getting to that." Redd flashed another smile, this one looking too strained to be painless. "I noticed my brooch was missing at around 10:30 PM last night. I was distraught; that brooch was given to me by my dearest girlfriend back home. I wouldn't be so careless as to lose it."

"Your girlfriend?" Miles asked.

"Her name is April May." Redd said.

"Examining the clasp on the back of the brooch, it would take a bit of work to undo this from your lapel." Miles continued, turning the jewel in his hand. "So in other words, it couldn't have been stolen."

"_OBJECTION!_" Mia shouted. "What if the thief struck while he was sleeping?"

"I find that highly unlikely." vonKarma said smugly. "I'm sure someone would notice, even if Mr. White himself was completely oblivious."

"But Ema stated that the room was dark."

"_OBJECTION!_" Klavier retorted. "Just dark enough to sleep in. You could still make out faces and colours in the lighting."

"I believe we're all missing the point." Phoenix said. "Why would Mr. Red White want to kill Simon Blackquill? They have never met before in their lives, and what motive would Mr. White have? He's already got money…even a girlfriend. What could he gain by killing Mr. Blackquill?"

The mock courtroom was abuzz with chatter again. The judge gave them a few moments to discuss among themselves before saying, "I believe Mr. Wright has made a clear point. What motive would Mr. White have?"

More chatter. The judge slammed his fist on the table a few times, drawing attention back him. "I'm waiting for an explanation. If I do not receive one, this trial will be suspended."

"_OBJECTION!_ That won't be necessary, your Honour." vonKarma tauntingly pointed a finger at Redd. "Evidence speaks for itself."

"And what do you have to present?" Apollo demanded.

"Observe the rings Mr. White currently has on."

Redd held up his hands, where indeed multiple gemstones were imbedded in metal around his fingers. "What about them? They are not for sale."

"That is quite all right; I don't intend on buying your verdict." vonKarma's grin was almost nauseating. "Simon Blackquill died of chest trauma. But before he died, he was struck—or, I should say _beaten_—on the head with something."

"This is true." Mia nodded.

"Now, I will educate the court in what this 'something' was." He motioned again to Redd's rings. "Notice how, despite the fact that there are jewels set into them, they are surprisingly flat. Flat enough to act as a pair of brass knuckles as he assaulted Simon Blackquill."

"_OBJECTION!_" Phoenix shouted. "Can you prove this?"

"Mr. Blackquill was bleeding from his head. Mr. White's rings, while flat enough to deal massive damage, also have edges and points. These are sharp enough to indeed inflict a bleeding wound."

The people erupted in conversation, all of them talking frantically and worriedly.

"_OBJECTION!_" Apollo managed to shout above the commotion. "We never got to see the head trauma inflicted on Blackquill. How can we trust your story?"

"Be my guest and examine it yourself." vonKarma said. "They can't bury it in this pouring rain."

The judge slammed his fist down on the trunk again, wincing slightly. "Order! Order in the court! A 15 minute recess will be held, and then the trial will resume!"

**XxXxXxXx**

"See for yourself." vonKarma grinned.

Apollo pushed past him and into the tent, his hair lying flat against his skull from the rain. Misty Fey was standing inside, a grin look on her face. Phoenix and Mia followed Apollo in, trying their best to wring out their clothes.

"It's as prosecutor vonKarma said," Misty knelt next to Simon's body and brushed his hair away from his face. Various gashes stood out, bright against his pale skin, bruises forming in the shape of rectangles and squares that would most likely fit Redd's ring pattern.

"Oh no…" Apollo muttered.

"You see? He's guilty." vonKarma continued. "How does it feel to be defending a murderer? Hurry back, now. The trail is about to resume."

**XxXxXxXx**

"Court is now back in session." The judge said. "Is the prosecution ready?"

"Yes, your Honour." vonKarma said stiffly. "Can we get on with it?"

"The defense is ready, just in case anyone was wondering." Apollo growled.

"So? What can the defense say about the prosecutions' claim?" the judge continued.

"…It is as they say." Mia hesitated.

"All in favour of an innocent verdict?"

Not a single person in the room raised their hands.

"All in favour of a guilty verdict?"

In synchronization, every hand save for the prosecution, judge, and defense went up.

The crowd was dead silent as the judge shook his head, saying, "Then we have reached our verdict. I hereby find Mr. Redd White…_Guilty_."

The only sound was the rain outside.

"Mr. White will be confined to a separate building under the constant watch of Misty Fey herself until we can turn him over to the police. Court adjourned."

Redd stood, jaw slack, eyes wide. His disbelief continued through the cheers of the crowd behind him and as he was lead away by Klavier.

"We're safe! We're safe!"

"We got the murderer!"

"I can't _believe it_." Apollo slammed his fist down on the trunk. "How did we not know about the head wounds? And what the heck happened to his hawk? Why are we never told anything before the trial?!"

"Something tells me that Mr. Redd White is not the murderer." Mia mused, frowning at the ground. "Yes, all the evidence points to him. But he has no reason to do what he did."

"You tried your best, Daddy." Trucy said, walking up and hugging Phoenix around his middle. "And that's good enough for me."

"Apollo…"

Said lawyer turned to face Athena, who despite the sadness still on her face, was looking dramatically better. Widget was a deep blue, but she still gave a small smile. "You did well."

"I'm….I'm sorry, Athena. I shouldn't have been defending the guy who killed Simon…"

"You don't think there's something suspicious about that?" Athena asked. "All the evidence was perfect. Almost too perfect."

"Yeah, but—"

"I'm certain Mr. White wasn't the murderer."

**XxXxXxXx**

"Hey, who stole my cookie?"

Phoenix glanced around the room, trying to pinpoint the thief. His gaze settled on a girl in a pink top and black skirt, who was walking casually away from where he was standing, cookie crumbs covering her gloved fingers. She quickly glanced back, and Phoenix caught sight of what appeared to be a large, golden key set into her black hair.

"Hey, you! Come back!"

"Oh, you've met Kay?" Trucy laughed. "She caught Archimedes for me earlier. She's actually quite nice."

"She just stole _my_ cookie!"

Trucy laughed again, perhaps a little too hard. Then again, there needed to be some laughter in Kurain village (Which, Phoenix had come to realize, was accurately named) after what had happened.

"Poor Phoenix. All cookie-deprived." Apollo pouted.

"I'm going to steal your cookie next." Phoenix threatened.

"Too late!" Athena grabbed it off Apollo's plate and shoved it into her mouth.

"Are you kidding me?!" Apollo sighed.

"Delicious," Athena grinned, crumbs falling from her mouth. Despite her dramatic mood change from earlier, Widget remained silent and a sad shade of blue.

"Grow up, you two. You're supposed to be adults." Trucy scolded.

"The future of the Wright Anything Agency is doomed." Phoenix agreed, watching as the original cookie thief, Kay, sat down next to Edgeworth and Gumshoe. She pointed at the group of lawyers and laughed, Gumshoe joining in.

"Why am I suddenly reminded of middle school…?" Phoenix muttered to himself.

The door opened, sending a sheet of rain inside the lunch hall. Mia stumbled into the room, soaked to the bone, looking around frantically. When she spotted Phoenix, she hurried over as fast as she could in high heels.

"You need to come with me. Preferably alone. Now."

"What? Why?" Phoenix asked.

"It's important." Mia said. "Hurry!"

The two of them headed back into the rain.

"Where are we going?" Phoenix asked.

"To visit Redd White!" Mia responded over the downpour.

By the time they had reached the building, they were both shivering and completely drenched. Phoenix doubted he'd ever be completely dry again as Mia opened the door and they entered into the building. "He's in the back."

They walked together, leaving a small stream of water behind them. Misty was standing at the door of Redd's room, a solemn look on her face.

"I'm glad you're here, Mr. Wright. Please, don't be alarmed when you see this…but I believe Mr. Edgeworth and the others were right to sentence this man to prison."

She unlocked the door and stepped in, Phoenix following.

Redd White was suspended three feet off the ground by a bedsheet wrapped around his neck to the window set near the roof. He was obviously dead, and yet Phoenix couldn't bring himself to tear his gaze away from the dead man's popping eyes.

"Suicide." Mia said. "Apparently the guilt was too much for him."

"It's terrible…" Misty added quietly by the door.

"No…" Phoenix frowned. "This was another murder."

"How can you tell?"

"His lapel…another brooch went missing."

**XxXxXxXx**

**So there's the next chapter, with the next deaths!**

**More on the way!**

**Please leave a review! I want to know what you people think of this! I want to know if I can improve anything! I want to know stuff!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28 **


	4. A Stolen Life

**CHAPTER 3**

**XxXxXxXx**

**Please note: Manfred vonKarma is just going to be referred to as vonKarma, because Franziska is in the story as well.**

**XxXxXxXx**

"I'm sick and tired of this rain."

"Isn't everyone?"

"I feel like Kurain Village is just going to be swept away in a giant wave."

The sky was beginning to darken, even more so than before. Apollo's watch read 5:47 PM, just a half-hour before food would be served.

"I mean, it's built into the side of the mountain," Trucy continued. "All these rocks around here could just come loose and drag the whole village with it."

"I sure hope not." Apollo remarked.

"Oh, speaking of rock, the entertainment tonight is going to be awesome!" Athena butted into the conversation. "Apparently Klavier Gavin and his brother, Kristoph, can play guitar. There's also a lady here who can sing really well, so I think we're going to get dinner and a show!"

"Awesome!" Trucy grinned. "But that wasn't the kind of rock we were talking about in the first place."

"Where the heck is everyone, anyway?" Athena asked, glancing around the near-empty main hall.

"All gathered in the makeshift food court, I guess." Apollo answered. "Speaking of which, we should probably head on over."

With that, the three of them ran from the building, Trucy's cape spread over them to protect them from the worst of the rain. Unfortunately, it was still downpouring and it didn't make much of a difference.

"There you are." Phoenix said as they wrung out their hair and clothes at the food court's entrance. "I was beginning to wonder where you were."

"Where else would we be, Daddy? There's nowhere else to go around here." Trucy said.

"What's for dinner?" Apollo asked.

"Lots of Italian food." Phoenix said. "And I do mean a lot. There's a thirty-pound pot of fettuccini and then some more…stuff."

"That's specific." Athena grinned.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Hello, everyone! I am Klavier Gavin, and this is my brother, Kristoph!"

The crowd erupted in polite applause toward the two prosecutors. Klavier motioned to the third person standing next to them, an older woman in her late thirties dressed in a blue hooded dress.

"I am proud to introduce Lamiroir to those of you who have not yet met her!" Klavier continued. "She is very well known back in her home country of Borginia as the Siren of the Ballad!"

More applause. Lamiroir took a short bow.

"Without further ado, let's begin!" Kristoph said. He began strumming a tune on the acoustic guitar, Klavier soon joining in on the melody.

The song that Lamiroir sang was heavenly, to say the least. The entire crowd didn't so much as whisper as the performance carried on.

_Sugar, sugar…_

_O that night, in your embrace_

_When you stole away the keys_

_My heart held on to so tight._

_Pleasure, pleasure…_

_But a fleeting melody._

_It wraps itself around me,_

_And now through the air I fly…_

Only when Klavier strummed the last note did everyone erupt into cheers.

"Wow! That was incredible!"

"Encore!"

"I want to be like them someday!"

"That was awesome!" Apollo grinned. "But still no match for your magic show, Trucy."

"Nice save, Apollo." The magician girl elbowed him in the ribs.

**XxXxXxXx**

"Some show, right?" Athena was still grinning madly. "I never knew prosecutors could be so cool!"

"They should join the Wright Anything Agency." Trucy added.

"You'll have to remind me to ask them later." Apollo yawned. "I want to sleep. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, Apollo's right." Trucy rubbed at her eyes. "Hopefully by tomorrow the rain will stop. I mean, it can't rain like this for more than three days, right?"

"I don't know…" Athena muttered. "I'm too tired to think right now. Goodnight." She collapsed onto her bedroll and pulled a blanket over her head, not saying another word.

"I'm going to do what she did and not show my face until morning." Trucy followed suit.

Apollo stared up at the ceiling for quite some time, listening to the dull roar of thunder outside the protective enclosure. Before too long, his mind began to wonder and darkness overtook his vision.

**XxXxXxXx**

…

_That's madness, you can't simply walk out of here_…

…

_I know that Mr. White wasn't the killer! It's not coincidence that the brooch I stole from him happened to go missing! And don't you dare accuse me of murder, either_!

Apollo found himself staring back up at the ceiling, listening to the current conversation happening in hushed voices across the room. At first, he thought he dreamed the chattering, but he began to recognize one of the voices.

"Why would you steal something from anyone in the first place? I thought you were after nothing but the truth." Miles was saying.

"Hey, this was my first big heist, alright? I have to prove myself worthy if I'm to steal the truth! And right now, that truth is who really killed Mr. Blackquill!"

Apollo turned his head and squinted in the semi-darkness. Over by the main hall's doors, Miles was sitting and facing the girl who had stolen Phoenix's cookie earlier, who held a determined look on her face.

"But if it is as you say, then the real killer could still be out there." Miles continued. "If he…or she…realized you were starting to poke around, they might as easily take care of you as well."

"A risk I'm willing to take." The girl said. "I want to know the truth!"

"Kay, it could be suicide."

The cookie thief, Kay, hesitated. "But look around! Everyone is accounted for, except for that prosecutor guy guarding Mr. White for the night. Everyone but him and the spirit mediums are here. That would make them the prime suspects, right?"

"I highly doubt they had a reason to murder Mr. Blackquill."

"But still! There was an unexplainable death! Don't you want to know? At least a little?"

"I want you to remain safe! I don't care if I have to sacrifice some answers for your well-being."

"I can take care of myself! After all, I am the Yatagarasu! I'm going to ask Mr. White a few questions."

"It's late, Kay. At least wait until morning to start your foolish investigations…"

"Now you're sounding like that whip-happy lady. Mr. Edgeworth, I can take care of myself!" the girl stood, and, without a sound, ran to the door and pulled it open. A torrent of rain showered down on the unfortunate soul closest to the door, who sat bolt upright in a state of near-panic.

"Kay, no!" Miles stood and ran after her, leaving the dazed man in a state of shock.

"Mr. Edgeworth? Pal…?"

Apollo wasted no time in leaving his warm, makeshift bed and hurrying after the prosecutor and his assistant. By now, a few other people were awake and confused.

The rain was coming down harder than ever, the drops feeling like bullets as they rained down on Apollo's shoulders. He stumbled blindly through the storm, his flailing hands eventually finding the door that would lead him to some shelter.

He nearly tripped on the doorframe as he entered the building securing Mr. White, shivering and shaking but now entirely awake. He had a few questions of his own for Mr. White…that is, when Miles managed to drag Kay back to the main hall…

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Apollo called. The building he was in was lit, so someone must have arrived before them…

"You. Justice. What's going on?"

Apollo turned, a bit surprised, to a man standing behind him. Just by his nasally and rather annoying voice, he recognized the prosecutor.

"Mr. Payne? What are you doing here?" the prosecutor lacked a significant amount of rainwater-logged clothing.

"I'm on watch duty for Mr. White. Misty's gone back to her home to rest."

"Oh." Apollo said. "Well, did you see Mr. Edgeworth and a girl wearing pink come running through here?"

"No, actually. I was…occupied." Payne stammered.

"_KAY_!"

The shout took them both by surprise. Apollo quickly drew toward the sound of the voice, rounding a corner and walking down a hall. Payne followed, annoyingly close.

Miles was crouched down next to Kay, who lay unmoving in the middle of the floor. As Apollo drew closer, he saw the blood that pooled around her head, dirtying her hair into a mess. She was lying facedown, head tilted to the right, eyes open in an expressionless stare. Something white was clutched in her hand.

"_KAY!_" Miles shouted again. "Oh no…no…no…" Apollo had never seen such panic and worry in his eyes before.

"What happened?" he managed to ask.

"I…I caught up with her…and…and then…"

"Eeeek!" Payne screeched. "A…another murder!"

Apollo knelt down next to Kay's body and gently unclasped her hand around the object. He pulled a piece of paper from her grip and unfolded it.

"It looks like the murderer left something." He held up the paper, where a bolded, black **M** was written in calligraphy-styled handwriting.

Footsteps sounded down the hall, hurried and frantic. Mia rounded the corner, horror etching itself onto her face as she observed the scene in front of her.

"What…what happened?" she asked at least.

"Another murder." Apollo said, quickly taking note of the time from his watch.

12:00 AM. Midnight.

**XxXxXxXx**

"You have to be joking." Franziska muttered. "Another death? But what does this killer have against Simon Blackquill, Redd White and Kay Faraday?"

"Mr. White? But he's—" Apollo started.

"He's dead." Phoenix said. "It looked like suicide, but things don't match up. We were going to keep his death quiet until we got rescued, but now that there's been a third murder, I believe everyone has the right to know."

"Phoenix, the evidence…" Mia said in a low voice. "It points to two people. If what Apollo said is true about Winston Payne, then he's a major suspect. Miles was the one to find the body, which was very recently murdered."

"Payne was the guard for tonight." Apollo said. "I guess he didn't know he was guarding an empty room."

He glanced around the hall again, where he, Phoenix, Mia, Franziska, and Gumshoe were all gathered around the crime scene. "You don't suspect me, do you?"

"No. Not in the least bit." Franziska said, a scowl set into her face. "There is nothing indicating you committed this murder."

"But you suspect Mr. Edgeworth?"

"….Miles Edgeworth is a suspect, as much as I regret to inform you."

"We're already defending him." Phoenix said. "And Payne. It will be a double-trial, much like the one we held for Redd White."

"Alright…does everyone else know about this yet?"

"Not yet…they will be informed soon."

**XxXxXxXx**

"The trial for Mr. Miles Edgeworth and Mr. Winston Payne is now in session." The judge declared. "Is the prosecution ready?"

From the prosecutor's side of the makeshift courtroom, Manfred and Franziska vonKarma nodded coolly while Klavier said, "Yes, your Honour."

"And the defense?"

"Ready, your Honour!" Athena declared. She was flanked by Phoenix and Mia, who looked as determined as she did.

"This court is gathered here today on the unfortunate and sudden murder of Ms. Kay Faraday. Prosecution, your findings?" the judge continued.

"_Ja_." Klavier said. "Unfortunately, we have found evidence that—"

"The girl's throat was sliced at exactly midnight." Franziska interrupted, impatiently tugging at her sleeve. "She died within seconds. Mr. Edgeworth found her not thirty seconds later, making him, of course, the prime suspect. Clutched in her hand was a styled letter M and found on her person was a diamond brooch."

Her father passed the evidence to the defense, letting them mull over the strange M and the expensive brooch for a few moments.

The crowd began to mutter amongst themselves.

"That brooch…"

"Is that one of Mr. White's?"

"Your Honour." Miles stood from where he had been sitting nearby the defense. "I have an alibi. Please, let me explain."

"Let him speak." vonKarma said stiffly.

"Kay was on a desperate hunt to find answers." Miles began. "She irresponsibly left the main hall to speak with Mr. White. I tried to follow her, but arrived at the structure simply too late."

"What was she to ask him?" Klavier asked.

"She wanted to know if he really did kill Mr. Blackquill. She insisted he hadn't."

"But the brooch found on his person was crucial evidence." Franziska said.

"_OBJECTION!_"

Everyone was taken slightly by surprise as Miles pointed an accusing finger toward her. "Kay Faraday stole that brooch from Mr. Redd White. She did not know until the trial that the very item she had stolen had been abducted and placed as evidence on Mr. Blackquill."

More mutterings around the hall. The judge waited a few moments before speaking again. "Mr. Edgeworth! Please explain!"

"Ms. Faraday was the Yatagarasu…the great thief." Miles didn't seem to radiate the pompous courage he usually did. "She was obsessed with stealing the truth…but she first wanted to test her hand at her first theft of an object."

"And she succeeded." Phoenix added.

"I didn't know she had committed the crime until much later." Miles continued as though he had not heard him.

"Hmm. So among a murderer, there was a thief alongside us as well?" the judge looked horrified.

"_Objection_!" Miles sighed. "She wanted to steal the truth and expose it to us all; who really killed Mr. Blackquill?"

"That's quite enough, Miles." vonKarma barked. "You're making yourself sound quite foolish."

Franziska gripped tighter at her sleeve. "I believe it's time to hear from our witness. We've wasted as much time as can with this pointless back-story. The theft is completely unrelated to this trial."

"_OBJECTION_!" Phoenix shouted. "Then why was another brooch found in Kay Faraday's pocket?"

"She simply enjoyed the thrill of stealing so much, she decided to do it again." vonKarma growled. "Now, the witness—"

"_OBJECTION!_" Phoenix slammed his fists on the clothing trunk used as the defenses' desk. "It was confirmed that another brooch had gone missing from Redd White's body when we had discovered he had died! So what you're proposing is Ms. Faraday snuck into Mr. White's cell and stole the brooch from the dead man's lapel? Where's the thrill in that?"

"_OBJECTION!_" Franziska lashed her whip at the defense attorneys, who leapt back in fright. "Who's to say she didn't hang Mr. White herself?"

More whispers and chatter broke out among the people. The judge raised his voice, shouting, "Quiet, please! Quiet! May I remind you this is a trial for Mr. Edgeworth and Mr. Payne! This is not about who stole what!"

"Quite right, your Honour." Klavier grinned. "We have strayed too far off topic. Now, I would like to call our witness to the stand, Mr. Apollo Justice."

Apollo took a few steps forward and tugged at his tie.

"Name and occupation?" vonKarma, seeming irritated, tugged at his sleeve much like Franziska was doing.

"Apollo Justice. Attorney." Apollo said.

"Please tell the court what you saw last night."

"I woke up to the sound of Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Faraday speaking to each other." Apollo started. "Ms. Faraday was saying how she needed to speak with Mr. White, so that proves she didn't know he was dead, so she couldn't have snuck into his holding cell and—"

The end of the whip slashed across his arm. Apollo nearly fell over and clutched at his arm, biting at his tongue.

"The witness will refrain from expressing his opinions." Franziska hissed. "Continue with your testimony, and _only_ your testimony."

"Fine…fine…" Apollo winced. "She needed to get the truth from him, no matter what Mr. Edgeworth would say to detour her. And then she ran out into the storm, with him following a few seconds behind her."

"So you followed them?" Klavier asked.

"Yes."

"And why did you do that?"

"I want answers as bad as anyone here." Apollo admitted. "I want to know why someone did this, and has continued to do this. I myself didn't know Mr. White had committed suicide until Ms. Mia Fey announced it to us. I suppose I wanted to talk to Mr. White as well."

"Continue." Franziska said.

"I chased Mr. Edgeworth and Ms. Faraday into the other building. I was far enough behind them to loose track of where they had gone, and that's when I ran into Mr. Payne. Shortly afterward, Mr. Edgeworth shouted and both Mr. Payne and I found him next to Ms. Faraday's body."

"And that brings us to our next discussion." vonKarma said. "Mr. Winston Payne."

The older prosecutor gulped nervously.

"Mr. Payne, you were on so-called guard duty last night, correct?"

"Yes, s-sir…" Payne stuttered.

"It was to offer a sense of security to the others." Mia spoke up. "They would think that as long as one of them were guarding Mr. White's prison, they would all be safe. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as we intended…"

"Yes, that's right…" Payne nervously twiddled his thumbs. "I ran into Mr. Justice as he came into the building, dripping wet and muddy from the rain outside. I told him—"

"_HOLD IT!_" Athena shouted. "Muddy?"

"Yes, with rain, the ground tends to become muddy." Franziska growled. "It's nothing new."

"Hold on, let me finish!" Athena insisted. "Are the prints still there? In the building, I mean? If so, that may prove Mr. Edgeworth's innocence!"

"_OBJECTION!_" vonKarma insisted. "We have been tracking mud around this village's structures for three days. I would think they would try and keep it clean."

"_OBJECTION!_" Mia shouted. "Actually, the prints are still there. We preserved the entire crime scene."

"Your Honour, if we could please take a look at these prints, they could reveal some very important information." Phoenix added.

"Very well." The judge said. "This trial shall take a short recess. We will meet back here in thirty minutes."

**XxXxXxXx**

"I've personally kept watch over the crime scene." Misty said. "No one's gone in since the trial started."

She led the way into the building, Phoenix, Mia, Athena, Klavier, Manfred and Franziska following behind her.

"Yes, I was right! See? Footprints!" Athena pointed to the floor, where various prints were scattered, leading into different directions. "I brought Apollo's shoe with me so we can figure out which ones belong to him."

She held up the shoe, Phoenix stifling a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Athena began comparing the sole of the shoe to the prints.

"Just picturing him hopping around on one foot."

"Phoenix, now is not the time." Mia hissed.

"These are Apollo's footprints right here…" Athena pointed to a set of prints. "And a few of these are sort of cut off, like someone with clean shoes was following him…literally in his footsteps."

"That would be Payne." Mia said. "He stated he cleaned the mud off his shoes once he stepped into the building. We retrieved a muddy rag from the trash as well."

"Right, so Apollo followed these two sets right here…" Phoenix pointed to the ground. "…Which belong to Ms. Faraday and Mr. Edgeworth."

"Let's follow them and see where they lead." Klavier suggested.

The group slowly inched along, Athena examining every print along the way and explaining as she went.

"From what I can tell, if Edgeworth really did kill Kay, he would leave decisive evidence in the form of these prints."

"Get on with it, girl. We only have thirty minutes." vonKarma growled.

"I'm working on it." Athena retorted.

They approached the scene of the murder. A faint stain of blood still decorated the floor, but Kay's body had been moved. Athena stopped nearby the bloodstain and pointed to the footprints.

"Kay stumbles here, but Edgeworth doesn't. It even looks like she started walking backward at one point, but his still continue on straight. If Edgeworth really was the murderer, his prints would be in sync with Kay's."

"You're right." Phoenix nodded. "She has a valid argument."

"…." Franziska pulled at her sleeve.

"You do have an argument. An argument for Edgeworth." vonKarma said. "But what about Payne? His shoes are clean and he didn't leave prints."

"I hate to break up the discussion, but we're out of time." Mia said. "Let's head back."

**XxXxXxXx**

"The trial for Mr. Edgeworth and Mr. Payne is back in session." The judge said. "And now, your findings, please."

"Athena brought to our attention the muddy prints." Phoenix said. "While Ms. Faraday's prints stumbled around, Mr. Edgeworth's were in a relatively straight line. Whoever the killer was, they didn't leave any evidence."

"And this lack of evidence will point us to the killer." Franziska motioned to Payne. "This irrefutable evidence directly points to you, Mr. Winston Payne."

"_OBJECTION!_" Phoenix shouted. "Just because his soles were clean doesn't mean that he committed the murder!"

"Then, Mr. Wright, explain to me who else was in the building at the time of the homicide?" vonKarma growled. "Who else was waiting hours before the murder, guarding a dead man thought to be alive?"

"…." Phoenix opened his mouth as to say something, but quickly shut it.

The judge shook his head. "If the defense has nothing else to say on the matter, I believe we have reached our verdicts."

"The muddy rags!" Mia exclaimed. "Has anyone examined the muddy rags in the trash bin? The ones that Mr. Payne used to clean his shoes off?"

"What about them?" Klavier asked.

"How many were used?"

"Three were found." Franziska stated, her brown furrowed. "And why is this important?"

"Ms. Fey, you are grasping at straws." The judge sighed. "No one but Mr. Payne took the time to keep their shoes clean, if that was what you were hoping for."

A hushed mumble of conversation started up. The judge raised his voice over the commotion and said, "Those in favour of a guilty verdict for Mr. Edgeworth?"

A few hands went up.

"Those in favour of an innocent verdict?"

The rest of the hands were raised. Phoenix cast a glance at Miles, who let out a sigh of relief.

"I hereby find Mr. Miles Edgeworth _not guilty_!" The judge said. "Now, for Mr. Winston Payne. Those in favour of a guilty verdict?"

All but one hand were raised.

"No…! No, you gotta believe me! I didn't kill anyone!" Payne stuttered.

"All in favour of an innocent verdict?"

Apollo was the only one who raised his hand.

"I hereby find Mr. Winston Payne _guilty _of the murder of Ms. Kay Faraday!"

"No!" Payne gasped. "I didn't do it!"

"Detective Gumshoe, please escort him to the holding cell we have prepared." The judge said.

"Yes, sir!" the scruffy detective saluted and, tucking the clipboard he had been scribbling feverishly on, took Payne by the arm. "Come on, pal. Let's go."

**XxXxXxXx**

"Trite, was it?"

Phoenix tore his attention away from his bowl of soup and directed it toward the man who sat down opposite him. He had white hair that stuck out messily about his head, and two silver earrings set into his left ear. A silver mask set with three glowing red lines covered his eyes. He was wearing an aqua dress shirt and white tie.

"My name is Diego Armando. But please, call me Godot." The man continued. "I've heard some good things about you."

"Have you…?" Phoenix asked. "And it's Wright, not Trite."

"I've heard you were the best lawyer money could buy." Godot continued.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that…"

"Really? Is that why innocent men have been convicted of murder these last two days?" Godot's friendly smile vanished.

"Hey, it wasn't all his fault." Apollo spoke up. "There was evidence!"

"Evidence that had contradictions in it." Godot said.

"Like what?" Phoenix asked.

"You should have pressed the prosecution when they mentioned the dirtied rags. You could have gathered some valuable information." Godot stood again. "But again, this is none of my business. I wasn't selected to be one of the prosecutors for this trial."

Stepping around Trucy as she happily ate her soup, he left.

"What a creep." Athena remarked.

"Did…did we really falsely accuse Mr. Payne of murder?" Apollo asked.

"I doubt it. Everything pointed to him." Phoenix said.

"But Mr. White was innocent, too." Athena put her bowl down. "And…something about him was really…different…about that Godot guy."

"He's got snow-white hair and a Halloween costume on." Apollo answered.

"No, not that." Athena cast him a glare. "He…he sounded really, really worried."

"Who isn't right now?" Trucy said around a mouthful of food.

"No, even moreso than the rest of us."

"He's talking to Mia." Apollo interrupted. "And they're both casting us these weird glares."

"This reminds me of middle school." Phoenix sighed.

"Except with murders." Trucy said.

Phoenix watched as Mia and Godot conversed, casting the group an odd glance every now and then. Godot glanced around as if afraid of being overheard before whispering something to Mia, who recoiled in shock, her left hand over her gaping mouth. Phoenix saw her form the word, "what?"

"I wonder what they're talking about." Apollo said, absentmindedly. "After all, isn't he a prosecutor? Aren't they mortal enemies with us defense attorneys?"

"Usually, yes." Athena answered.

Phoenix turned back to his food, but he couldn't shake the sense of dread that had settled over him like a dark cloud.

**XxXxXxXx**

**I regret ever writing this story. I really liked Kay and I'm really sad. **

**But the next chapter is going to make me cry.**

**Remember to review, please!**

**Hasta la Vista, Readers!**

**Lordoftheghostking28**


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